Driving Me Crazy
by ObscureEnough
Summary: Dom is in Oxnard, looking for a distraction. Slash.
1. Introductions

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to Buffy or The Fast and The Furious

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><p>He settled in his chair, and looked around the room. This place was far enough from LA that no one knew him, but close enough to get here in a couple of hours. And after that last fight with Letty, he just needed to get away, go look at some pretty boys.<p>

And there were pretty boys to be had here. Plenty of servers wandering around in tight pants, and not much more, and the dancers up on the stage weren't hard on the eyes, either. Though the blond grinding away at the moment wasn't really his type. He shrugged, sucked back on his Corona, and waited for the next one.

The blond's song ended, and another song started, slow, and Latin-sounding. He looked up to see a new dancer, lean body covered in some mockery of a suit, with a hat tilted over his face. What he could see, Dom liked. Long, lean body, dark hair curled at the nape of the man's neck, and smooth movements as the dancer moved across the stage. He played with the hat for a while, on and off, before finally tossing it to the back of the stage and moving long, nimble fingers to the bow-tie. A quick movement left the tie open and loose around the man's neck, and then the hands were moving again, up and down his finely muscled torso.

Dom sat back and smiled. The boy had a body on him, though not carrying as much bulk as he, himself, did. The suit vest was now hanging by the man's wrists, restricting him as he moved around the stage. He treated it like chains binding him, and Dom enjoyed the sight of muscles moving under golden skin. Finally, the vest was discarded, and the suspenders were first snapped against his chest, before being shrugged off, to hang down, drawing the eye to that tight butt, and the interesting bulge in the front of his pants.

And the trousers. They weren't, apparently, the usual rip-apart pants. Instead, the man thumbed open the button, and, with deliberate slowness, pulled down the zipper, and simply let them fall to the ground. A random thought crossed Dom's mind that the rip-apart pants didn't really fit the slow, rolling beat of the song, anyway. And good, black trousers pooled at the pretty boy's naked feet had a somehow more intimate look that had him shifting in his seat with a wicked smirk.

The song ended, and a new one started, faster, but still Latin-sounding, and the dark-haired man began trolling for tips. Dom waited for his turn, then stared the boy in the eyes as he ran the folded note down that flat, ripped belly, and over the well-filled thong, before carefully tucking it into the front. Wouldn't do to damage anything vital, Dom decided.

He watched until the boy was safely back wherever strippers go when they're finished their session, then called over a server. "How do I get a private dance?" he asked.

"Uh, lapdance out here, or, like, ten minutes in a room?" the server clarified.

"_Private_ dance," Dom repeated.

"With Alex?"

Dom nodded. "That'd be the one."

"Just give me a few," the server asked, before quickly making his way out back. A few minutes later, he returned, and gestured for Dom to follow him.

The room was small, and it was simply furnished with a couch, and a table for the stereo. Dom made himself comfortable, and waited for the stripper. When the other man entered, he stood, and walked over, getting as close as possible, without touching. "Alex, right?" he purred. "Name's Dom."

Alex stilled for a moment, then Dom saw the mobile lips pull up into a quick grin. "Seriously?" he asked. "Could you have a more appropriate name?"

Dom chuckled. "Haven't actually ever had that one," he admitted.

"I aim to please," Alex offered in a husky voice.

Dom smirked and let his eyes roam over the brunet's body. Yeah. This boy could please. He found his chair, and sprawled into it, waiting for the dancer to begin. This time, he put on a faster song, and began to lose himself in the dance. Dom watched, running his eyes over the boy. He itched to run his hands over the golden skin, to hold him down, to fill him. He was mesmerised by the lithe brunet, and, too soon, the music ended. As he looked on, the dancer's eyes opened, and he could see the arousal darkening the brown orbs. "What time do you finish up?" he found himself asking.

"Two," Alex murmured.

"Meet you out the front?" Dom suggested as he stood.

Alex smiled. "Yeah."

* * *

><p>Dom leaned against his car and watched for Alex to come out. He saw the young brunet come around the corner, pushed away from the car, and waited for Alex to reach him. Once the younger man was standing in front of him, he reached out, pushed his hand into the lush, dark hair, and pulled him close to finally taste the mouth he'd been thinking about since he'd first seen the boy. Alex moaned softly, and opened his lips to Dom's kiss. He vaguely heard the sound of a bag hitting the ground, then felt hands grab at his shirt even as Alex pressed closer to him.<p>

He ended the kiss, and looked at the younger man. Eyes darkened and lips bruised, he looked ready to fuck. "Into the car," Dom growled. When Alex looked ready to argue, he went on, "I ain't leaving my car on the street. Get in and I'll drive you wherever. Unless you don't want this," he added as a mild threat.

"I want this," Alex was quick to reassure him. "And it's only, like, five minutes walk, but I understand about wanting to get this baby off the streets." With that, he pulled away, and moved around to the passenger side.

Dom drove in the direction Alex indicated. "So you like cars?" he asked.

Alex shrugged. "I'd like to like cars, but I don't really know anything about them. Other than get in and go. Didn't have anyone to teach me anything about cars, and the one I got from my uncle lost its engine on the way into Oxnard. Hence me up on stage," he added with a wry grin.

"You're good," Dom nodded. "Hot." He raked a glance over the younger man's body. "Definitely liked what I saw."

"Thanks," Alex mumbled. "Um, you should know I'm not really... I don't, uh, have a lot of experience. You know, with the sex."

"How old are you?" Dom asked, frowning slightly.

"Eighteen."

"You had sex before?"

"Just a couple of times," Alex offered.

Dom nodded. "You sure you want this?" he asked again.

Alex looked at him, and took his time before answering. "Yeah," he murmured breathily. "Yeah, I want this."

"Good. 'Cause I don't push anyone into it, okay?" Dom asked as he looked at the other man.

Alex gave a brilliant smile. "Cool," he murmured. "And I really do want this. I just wanted you to know I pretty much don't know what I'm doing," he warned.

"You sure about that?" Dom teased. "'Cause that kiss was something special."

Alex grinned and ducked his head. "My ex was pretty adamant about that. And we spent a lot of time in the Janitor's closet, practising."

Dom nodded, and parked the car. He followed Alex into his hotel room, then closed the gap between them. He wrapped his arms around the boy's waist, and began kissing and sucking his neck. Alex sighed, and sagged back against him while reaching back to run his hands over Dom's thighs. Dom let Alex go, and moved over to the bedside table to lay out some items. "Strip," he ordered as he did so.

When Dom turned back, Alex was naked, and walking towards him. He smirked at the sight of that lean, muscled body, all his to play with. He ran a hand up Alex's chest, and around into the hair at the nape of his neck before pulling him in for another deep kiss. Alex ground against him, then began to tug at his shirt.

"You're wearing too much," Alex murmured when Dom broke the kiss.

"So do something about it," Dom instructed.

Alex smiled, and kissed him again, tugging his shirt out of his jeans. Working quickly, he stripped Dom, kissing his way down the larger man's body as he did so. Once Dom was naked, he knelt in front of him, and turned his attention to the thick cock in front of him. He ran a flat tongue up the underside until he reached the top, then sucked the head into his mouth. He swirled his tongue over the head of Dom's cock, flicking at the slit, before pulling off with a pop, and looking up.

"Fuck," Dom murmured. "You sure you ain't done this a lot before."

Alex grinned and shrugged. "You want me to continue?"

"Later," Dom decided. "On the bed."

Alex crawled onto the bed, then shot a look at the older man over his shoulder. Dom growled at the sight, and slid in behind the boy, grabbing hold of his hip. He thrust against the younger man, letting his cock slide between firm butt cheeks. Alex gasped, and pushed back against the movement. Dom chuckled, and grabbed the lube, squirting some on his fingers, and more at the base of his boy's spine. Without warning, he slid a finger into the tight hole, causing Alex to groan hard and drop his head. Dom stroked deep until his found his goal, and Alex cursed and tossed his head. Dom grinned, and worked two fingers into his boy's ass. Alex began to mewl and pant, and thrust back against the thick fingers, so Dom rewarded him with three fingers, twisting and flexing, working deep inside the other man.

Alex growled in frustration when Dom pulled his fingers out, then stilled when he felt the larger man's cock push in at his entrance. He panted, and flexed his fingers into the sheet as the thick cock slowly slid into him, not slowing until it was fully buried inside him.

"That's my good boy," Dom growled. He stroked the boy's hip and waited for him to move. Soon enough, Alex was whining, and pushing back against him, so he pulled out and thrust back in again, setting up a rhythm. He watched as the muscles in his boy's back flexed and tensed, as Alex matched his rhythm, stroke for stroke, driving him harder than Dom would ordinarily go. His boy was strong, and delighted in a strong lover, that much was clear. He was tossing his head, and grunting in English, and Spanish, and other languages he couldn't pick.

Part of Dom wanted to close his eyes and enjoy the ride, but another part wanted to watch this boy, this man beneath him, this beautiful, strong man who would buck him right the fuck off if he wasn't strong enough. His boy wouldn't accept a weak lover, that was for sure. He reached around and grabbed Alex's cock, causing the younger man to toss his head back and roar. Dom grinned, and began stroking the achingly hard organ as Alex began to curse even louder, threatening dire consequences if he didn't get him off right the fuck now! Dom just stroked harder, front and back, as he rode the wild ride to completion, shouting when Alex came so hard it brought tears to his eyes. Three more strokes, though, and he was free-falling over his own ledge, and landed, pinning the smaller man to the bed.

"I should move," Alex offered sleepily.

Dom tried to think about that. "Yeah?" he grunted. "Why?"

"'Cause I'm lying in the wet spot. And you're heavy. Like, really heavy."

Dom chuckled, and pulled out of his boy before rolling to one side.

Alex turned his head, and scowled at him reproachfully. "I said 'should'. Didn't say I was going to. It's like 'I should do my homework,' or 'I should mow the lawn.' Nothing at all about actually doing it," he pouted.

Dom slapped his ass hard. "Get up and clean off," he ordered with a grin. "And throw a towel down. There ain't enough room for us to both sleep here and avoid it."

Alex pushed himself up off the bed, and leaned over to give Dom a searing kiss. "Fine," he muttered. "Bossy-boots."

Dom ran his eyes over his boy, and growled. Alex stopped, and stared back at him, then shook his head. "Life I've lead, growls really shouldn't be a turn on," he sighed.

Dom was off the bed and behind him in a flash. He slid his arms around Alex, winding one down to fondle his boy's cock and balls, and nuzzled his neck. "You like me growling?" he asked.

Alex leaned back into Dom's arms, and sighed. "Oh, yeah." He reached back to run his hands around Dom's hips. "I am one sick puppy who really likes you growling." Dom growled into Alex's neck, and grinned to feel his boy's breath hitch. "Think you're up to going again?" he whined.

Dom was pretty sure it was too soon for him to try again, despite his cock trying to get hard, so he opted to bite down on Alex's ear, and roll his balls in his hand. Alex shuddered, and pushed into the hand, so Dom began stroking his cock in earnest. He stood there, one arm hard around Alex's waist, the other hand working his cock, and nibbled, and sucked, and kissed Alex's neck, shoulder and ear, marking the boy as his. Alex's hands were trapped down by his body, and he could only reach around to Dom's hips, which he did, trying to bring the older man even closer, alternating between thrusting into the large hand, and grinding back against the hardening cock.

Suddenly, Dom changed his mind, and pushed Alex up against the wall. He kicked the younger man's feet apart, lined his cock up against Alex's still-open hole, and pushed. His boy whined, and pushed back, welcoming him back into his body. This time, Dom was determined to exert some control, so he gritted his teeth, and maintained an even pace. He closed his eyes, and rested his forehead against Alex's shoulder. All he could hear was the sound of himself and Alex panting, the sound of Alex's whines and he struggled to work Dom into a frenzy. He could smell their recent release, and their combined sweat, running down Alex's back, taste it almost. And he could feel Alex's rippling passage, firm muscles under his hand and mouth, strong fingers digging into his hips.

Dom felt like punching a hole in the fucking wall as he struggled to keep going. His balls felt like they were crawling all the way up into his body, and his cock was so hard it was in pain, especially as he pushed into this hard, tight body that kept wanting to suck him back in, and squeeze him tight. He felt Alex arch back, and heard a scream as the younger man spasmed like someone touching a live wire, except Alex was the live wire, jerking and shocking him, and fucking forcing him to come.

Dom collapsed against Alex, who leaned against the wall and sucked in huge breaths as he tried to recover. "If you're ever after a performance review," Alex grinned shakily, "I'm willing to go with 'fan-fucking-tastic'. Which has the added benefit of being really appropriate."

Dom chuckled against Alex's shoulder, and shook his head. "This wasn't just a one-sided thing, you know. I ain't done it like that in a real long time."

Alex twisted to look at the older man. "So I inspire you, huh?" he grinned.

"Fuck, yeah," Dom grinned in return. He pushed himself back and looked at Alex's body. He ran a thumb over a particularly vivid mark, and shook his head. "Don't think they're going to appreciate that," he grunted.

Alex twisted, as if to try and see the mark. "Got a few days off, so that doesn't matter. Of course, if you were to keep giving me hickies, then I'd have a problem."

Dom looked at the boy, at his boy, and thought about keeping this going for more than the one night. He found himself liking that idea a lot. Smiling to himself, he slapped Alex on the rump. "Clean yourself up and come back to bed," he instructed.

Alex gave a brilliant smile, and finally reached the bathroom, where he quickly washed himself. He brought back a towel, and tossed it onto the bed before lying down beside Dom. The older man pulled him close, and tucked him half under his larger body. Alex smiled, and worked his way to a comfortable position, before sighing, and letting himself drop off to sleep. "'Night," he slurred as he drifted off.

Dom looked down at the sated boy and smiled. He was feeling a lot better than he had hours ago when he'd peeled out of his driveway, a screaming Letty throwing something at the car. She'd sworn she was leaving, this time for good, and the thought didn't disturb him anywhere near as much as it had then. He looked down at his boy, the lush lips, the tight body, and grinned. Letty could go fuck herself.


	2. LA

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to Buffy or TFATF

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><p>Dom grabbed the bag, and tossed it into the back of his car. "Got anything else, Alex?" he asked as he walked back into the room.<p>

The younger man looked up with a lopsided smile. "Xander," he corrected.

"Huh?"

"Alex is the name I used at the club. You know, for dancing. I didn't want to use my real name, 'cause it's way too close to home, so I used 'Alex'. But my name's Xander. Well, it's Alexander, but people usually only call me that when I'm in trouble. So... Xander," he finished with a smile.

Dom walked up and slid a hand behind his boy's head. "Sometimes I think the only way to get you to shut up is to kiss you," he smirked.

Alex's... Xander's eyes went wide, and darkened with arousal. "Certainly worth a shot," he whispered. "Though don't know if that's going to work in the long-term. More a form of positive reinforcement. You know," he went on, "I babble, so you kiss me, so I babble so you'll kiss me again. That sort -" Dom cut Xander off with exactly the form of positive reinforcement he'd just been talking about. When the older man released him, Xander looked up in a daze. "I was talking?" he asked, frowning.

Dom grinned. "You were getting in the car."

"Okay," Xander grinned in return, and went to do just that. Dom chuckled, and followed his boy out to the car.

An hour later, and Dom had expected Xander to talk the whole way home, but the boy had been strangely quiet. He looked across, frowning. "There a problem, Xan?"

"No," Xander squeaked. "I'm just only used to going this fast when I'm flying through the air, about to hit something hard. And not even then, really, 'cause I'm pretty sure if you clocked me, I wouldn't be going this fast. And I'm so not talking at the time. And I kind of figured you'd need to concentrate, 'cause, you know, fast!"

Dom chuckled. "You're not used to driving fast?"

"If you ever saw the car I got from my uncle, you'd know the answer. I did tell you that the engine dropped out, like, five miles from Oxnard, didn't I?"

"I can't believe your uncle made you pay good money for that," he shook his head.

"Yeah, well, Mom and Dad are going to make me pay good money for the basement when I get home, and that place smells," he grimaced.

"You planning on going back there?" Dom growled. It had only been three days he'd had his boy, but there had been stories told, and he was pretty sure he didn't want Xan going back there.

Xander cocked his head and chewed his lip. "Well, I was going to go back there," he considered. "But that was before, you know? Then I met you, and, well, uh, wow! Yeah," he added with a goofy smile. "You're pretty much 'wow'!"

"I damn well better be," the older man growled again. "You realise you're mine, don't you? And I don't let go," he added.

Xander's breath hitched, and his hand stole across to rest on Dom's leg. "Yours," he promised, and Dom found himself speeding up a little, to get home and get his boy settled.

"Home, soon," Dom promised.

"Yeah," Xander murmured, frowning faintly. "Then I get to meet your family."

* * *

><p>Mia was sitting at the kitchen table when they walked in. She looked up as they entered, and smiled. "Hey, Dom. Was wondering when you'd turn up."<p>

"Letty call?" he asked.

"Nope. But the whole neighbourhood heard that fight, so I wasn't looking for her to call," she shrugged. "So who's this?" she asked with a smile.

"This is Xan. Found him in Oxnard. Xan, this is my sister, Mia."

Xander smiled and waved, then looked at Dom, a little worried. "Uh, Dom?" he began. "You going to..."

Dom frowned, puzzled at what Xander was on about. Xander nodded at his sister, so he glanced her way, only to notice the look on her face. He rolled his eyes. "Hey, Mia," he began. "How about you get my boy a sandwich. Think he'll need the energy," he added with a leer.

"Dom!" Xander hissed, blushing. "Even I know better than that."

Mia blinked. "Your … boy?" she asked. "Like, your boyfriend? Dom, what the hell do you think you're doing? Sure, Jesse'll be too far into a computer to do anything, and Leon'll be okay with it, but you know Vince is going to go right off about this, and Letty will scream hell down on you! No. You made this mess, you fix it," she finished, storming out of the kitchen.

"See?" Xander asked wryly. "That's why you don't do it that way." He looked around the kitchen, chewing his lip. "She's right, isn't she? About Vince and Letty?"

Dom scowled after his sister. The only thing keeping him in place was Xander's hand on his arm. The younger man had grabbed him as soon as Mia had started ripping into him, and that had somehow … grounded him enough not to start on a screaming match with the girl. "I broke up with Letty. She ain't go not call to scream at me. Vince, though. He ain't going to like it. That going to be a problem?"

Xander thought about it as he absently rubbed Dom's arm. "He's pretty kick-ass, isn't he?"

Dom shrugged. "Knows his way around a car, got a temper. Bigger than you," Dom observed, moving closer. "He's a brawler, and he hits hard."

"I can hit back?" Xander asked, paying more attention to the arm he was stroking.

"Fuck, yeah," Dom nodded.

"I can hit first?" he asked, looking up through his eyelashes.

Dom laughed. "If you want. If he's going to make a fuss about you being in my bed, then you do whatever the hell you have to to look after yourself, you hear?"

Xander looked up and slid his arms around Dom's waist. "Hmm... Bed," he murmured.

Dom smirked, and cupped Xander's head in his hand. "Up the stairs, last door on the right. You got five minutes before I rip those clothes off you," he purred before taking Xander's mouth in a hard, deep kiss. When he pulled back, Xander's eyes were almost black, and he was panting. "Four minutes," he taunted. Xander flashed his brilliant smile, and took off. Dom grinned, and sauntered after him.

* * *

><p>Xander was facing away from the door when Dom slipped into the room. He was naked, and bending over the bed to pull the covers down. Dom crept up behind him, and grabbed him by the hips, dragging him hard against him. Xander yelped and twisted, but calmed almost immediately, and ground back against the larger man. Dom reached around to pull on Xander's cock. "Pity I can't keep you like this all the time," he growled into Xander's neck.<p>

"Oh, yeah," Xander sighed, reaching up to hold Dom's head to his neck. When Dom released his cock, Xander turned to face him. He plucked at Dom's wife-beater. "You're wearing too much," he complained in a husky voice.

"Am I now?" Dom grinned. "Well maybe you should do something about that," he suggested.

Xander smirked in response, and began to _slowly_ remove Dom's clothing, spending as much time kissing and stroking as he did tugging clothes out of the way. Dom growled, but Xander kept to his own pace. He dropped Dom's pants to the ground, but Dom couldn't kick them off as he was still wearing his boots. He scowled when he saw Xander's grin, but relaxed when the younger man began kissing and nipping his way down his body. Xander made a straight line down until his navel, which he paid, as far as an impatient Dom was concerned, an indecent amount of attention to, before veering off to the side, and continued down, totally ignoring his waiting cock.

Xander kissed and nipped his way down one thigh and removed Dom's boot and pulled his leg out of this pants, then worked his way back up the same thigh before retracing his path around Dom's cock back to his navel. He then mirrored that path down the other leg, and repeated his self-appointed task before making his way back up Dom's body. Dom was about to shout at him to just, fuck! do something, when Xander suddenly took the head of his cock into that pretty – fuck, so pretty – mouth. He snarled, and grabbed handfuls of Xander's hair, but managed to not come in that increasingly talented mouth.

Xander released his cock with a pop, and looked up at him. "Man, you've got good control," he grinned.

"Get on the fucking bed," Dom growled. He was pleased to note the speed with which Xander obeyed him, and quickly fished out the condoms and lube before tossing them onto the bed. He looked at Xander, spread out and smirking, and grabbed hard at the base of his own cock. He took a deep breath, and held it. When he felt calm enough, he knelt between his boy's legs, and quickly rolled a condom on before grabbing the lube. He squeezed some onto his fingers, and began opening Xander up. He watched his boy, bucking and twisting, mewling and moaning, babbling, pleading, and clutching at the sheets in his need. He was determined to go at his own pace after that little cock-tease routine Xander had put him through earlier. Two fingers, three, and then four fingers were worked inside the younger man, opening him, teasing him, driving Xander as crazy as he'd driven Dom. Finally, when _he_ was satisfied, Dom smeared some more lube on the condom, and pushed all the way in in one smooth thrust.

Xander arched off the bed so that the only parts of him touching it were his head and his hands, still clenched in the sheets. After a few minutes, Xander began to relax, sagging back onto the bed as much as possible with his legs over Dom's shoulders. He opened his eyes, and smiled. "You're a bastard, you know that, don't you?" he asked, dazed.

"After that little thing you did?" Dom demanded. "Think I have the right."

Xander gave a huff of laughter. "Don't you try to tell me you didn't like it."

"You want me to show you how much I fucking liked it?" Dom taunted.

Xander shuddered. "Hell, yeah," he whispered.

At that, Dom pulled back, then thrust right back in. Xander bucked again, and gave a loud moan. Dom leaned down close to his boy, letting Xander's legs twist around his waist. "Like that?" he whispered. Xander panted, and nodded vigorously. "Want more?" he asked.

"Please," Xander whined.

Dom captured his boy's mouth for a breathlessly long kiss, sucking on the younger man's tongue, searching behind his teeth, making that mouth his. When he finally broke the kiss, he pulled back, and looked at the other man, then smiled. He straightened, wrapped his powerful hands around his lover's hips, and began to pound. He let his boy's whispered words pour over him, their ceaseless pleas and insistent demands spurring him on. He felt his hands roam constantly over his arms and shoulders and chest, scratching and stroking with equal fervour. He gritted his teeth, and kept moving.

He felt the end coming, a tightening in his gut, his balls pulling up even as he tried to hold back, but the man beneath him was too strong, too powerful, too insistent, with his moans, and his sighs, his pleas, and his damn-near perfect body rippling around his cock, pulling a painfully intense orgasm screaming from his body. Desperately, Dom reached for Xander's cock, and began to tug at it, hoping to make his boy come at least as hard as he was about to. He heard a shout, and he thought it was Xander, but he couldn't be sure, because he was falling forward, now, and there was only his lover's taut body to cushion his fall.

* * *

><p>Dom woke to something pushing at him. "What?" he grunted.<p>

"You're heavy," Xander complained. "You're like two hundred fifty pounds of pure muscle, and you're squishing me flat."

"I am not that heavy," Dom grinned.

"Says the person on top," Xander retorted, poking a finger into his ribs.

Dom caught the offending finger, and brought it to his mouth, where, maintaining eye-contact with Xander, the sucked it into his mouth and swirled his tongue around it.

Xander's eyes went wide, and his breath hitched. "Hells, Dom. I'm pretty sure I'm in no way up to a repeat just now, but I so very want to."

Dom chuckled, a wicked sound. "There a problem?"

Xander slapped at him with his free hand. "Bastard." He relaxed under his lover, then frowned, as if in thought.

"What now?" Dom demanded.

"You think your sister was here for all of that?" Xander asked innocently.

* * *

><p>Vince and Leon walked up the steps to the front porch. "Hey, Mia," Vince began. "What're you doing out here?"<p>

Mia made a face. "Dom's home. Brought someone with him. They're loud," she pouted.

Leon raised his eyebrows. "Louder than Letty?"

"Oh, yeah," Mia nodded. "Don't think she's got much of a chance now," she added.

"So what's she like?" Vince asked.

Mia scowled at him, causing him to jerk back in surprise. "Ask Dom," was all she would say before immersing herself in her books. Vince and Leon exchanged puzzled looks, then shrugged, and headed in to get themselves drinks.

There was a stranger in the kitchen when Vince and Leon walked in. A man, about Mia's age, wearing only jeans, was leaning against the counter, eating a sandwich. Vince frowned. "Who the hell are you?"

The boy stopped chewing, looked at the the two men, then swallowed. "Let me guess," he began. "Vince and Leon?" he asked, pointing to each of them.

Leon grinned, and headed for the fridge. "Yep," he nodded. "And you are?"

"Xander," he introduced.

"So what the fuck are you doing here, Xander," Vince drawled the name.

"I brought him here," Dom declared as he entered the kitchen.

"You're what he brought home?" Vince sneered.

Xander tilted his head. "Being a human," he considered, "I'm more of a 'who' than a 'what'."

Vince turned to Dom. "You brought a boy home with you? You're fucking boys now?" he demanded.

"I take what I want," Dom growled. "Always have, always will. If Xander can keep up, then I'm having him."

Vince shook his head in disgust, and stormed out of the kitchen. A few minutes later, his car could be heard roaring off down the street.

Leon looked at his friend. "That went well," he offered mildly.

"You going to have a problem, too?" Dom wanted to know.

"Fuck, no," Leon shook his head. "Who you screw is your business. Vince is kind of right, though," he went on. "This will be a problem for others."

"Anyone has a problem with this, they deal with me," Dom decided.

"You might not be there when people are having a problem with it," Leon warned easily. "Your boy might be the only one there. You thought about that?"

Dom looked at Xander and clenched his jaw. "Anyone does anything, you tell me," he ordered the younger man.

Xander scoffed. "Uh, that would be a 'no'," he decided. "I've never run to the teacher, and I'm not going to start now. If I have a problem, I'll deal with it."

"Some of the people we deal with are scary," Leon warned.

Xander shrugged. "Won't be the first time I've met scary." When Dom raised an eyebrow, Xander went on. "What? You think I told you the bad parts of the 'Dale? There's more to life than kissing cheerleaders in the Janitor's closet," he dismissed.

Dom growled low in his throat, and stalked over, pinning Xander to the counter. "You have a problem, you talk to me about it," he repeated.

"And again with the 'no'," Xander argued calmly. "Strange as it may seem, Dom, you are not the scariest man I've met. I stared him down outside my best friend's hospital room. Pretty sure he was going to kill her, but 'best laid plans' and all that."

"You've met someone scarier that Dom?" Leon asked, trying to break the tension.

Acknowledging the effort, Xander broke Dom's gaze and smiled at Leon. "Strange as it may seem, but yeah. After all, Dom hasn't actually killed anyone, has he?"

"Nope," Leon shook his head.

"Angelus..." Xander licked his lips, and pushed close to Dom. "He killed my computer teacher, and laid her out on her boyfriend's bed. There were candles, and rose petals, the whole nine yards. All because he wanted to get to the boyfriend's student." He rested his head against Dom's shoulder. "So, yeah. Dom isn't the scariest person I know."

Dom wrapped his arms around his boy, and held him tight. "You tell me if you need me to do something," he conceded.

Xander pulled back, and gave a small smile. "I can do that," he agreed.


	3. Discovery

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to Buffy or TFATF

A/N: Don't know if this story could constitute as character bashing, but Angel, Buffy and Willow do not appear in too favourable a light. Just so you know.

A/N: What do you know? I can write more than just sex ;) (AKA – Fight Scene)

* * *

><p>Xander dodged back away from the wild fist. Actually, this was getting tedious. This was the third fight he'd gotten into this week, and his usual ability to talk his way out of things didn't seem to have translated too well to LA. Instead, he was actually fighting. The good thing was that, after two years of fighting vampires, and some time sparring with Buffy, he was used to much stronger and faster opponents to anything he had faced since moving here. Hopefully the LA people would quickly get the hint that, while he may take it up the ass, he was no limp-wristed nothing to be taken out and thrashed. Meanwhile, he was seriously thinking of not leaving the house without taping his knuckles. Or maybe the bedroom. Vince was still making faces every time he walked in the room.<p>

The current fight, though, really did need some of his attention, so he cut off that train of thought, and drove a fist into the other man's belly. As the other man curled up, trying to catch his breath, Xander braced on hand in the other, and drove his elbow down into the back of the other man's shoulder, dropping him to the floor. He quickly looked around, but no one was coming to his current opponent's aid. The other man started to get up, so Xander planted his boot on his shoulder, and pushed down. "Stay," he commanded. When the other man stopped trying to push up, he squatted down beside him. "Here's the thing," he began. "I'm not considered much of a fighter back home. Usually I just talk my way out of things. But you people here won't let me do that, so I'm having to beat you up, and, frankly, it's getting boring. So you tell your friends – hells, tell random strangers – that I'm so very over people getting their noses out of joint over the fact that I'm having sex with a man. I don't do it in front of you, so just get the fuck out of my sex life. Okay?" When the other man didn't say anything, Xander dug his thumb and forefinger in either side of the base of his skull. "I said 'okay'?"

"Yeah," the other man gasped. "Right, fine. Okay."

"Good. 'Cause, like I said: bored, now," Xander nodded. With that, he stood, and walked away. The crowd melted back from him as he returned to his lover. Ordinarily, he would be impressed, but tonight he was still pissed at the way the man had separated him from Dom's group, and gotten him into the fight. It shouldn't have happened, and he was pretty sure it was Vince who had let that happen. Vince was still mad at Dom for bringing home a male lover, and openly being in a relationship with him, but Xander was the easier target, so Xander it was. He knew it was going to come to a head soon, but there was nothing he could do about it. He respected other peoples' sensitivities, and didn't jump Dom in public, much as the other man made it very difficult to resist. He just wished others would respect their right to acknowledge one another as lovers in public.

When he reached Dom, the older man took him by the chin, and examined his face. Xander twisted out of his grip, and sucked at his split lip. "Another fight?" Dom asked with a raised eyebrow.

"Yet another fight," Xander agreed. "I'm fine," he reassured the other man. "I'm not the one who ended up kissing dirt."

Dom smirked. "You know, for a small guy you're a pretty good fighter."

Xander rolled his eyes. "Okay, first? Not that small. I'm only a few inches shorter than you."

"Yeah, and how many pounds lighter?" Dom teased.

"So you could make my ex-girlfriend out of our weight difference," Xander rolled his eyes. "Still. Not small. I'm bigger than at least half the guys who've tried to take me on. And besides," he went on, "they're just slower than I'm used to. The guys that used to throw me into walls and stuff are a whole lot quicker than the guys you've got here. Actually, in a weird way, this is really good for my ego," he considered.

Dom just laughed, and turned him around before tugging him close. Xander didn't even try to protest. It was one thing to be able to take a punch, or knock someone down. It was entirely another thing to push that much weight out of the way. He should know. He had that fight every morning. He wasn't sure, but he was fairly confident Dom was nowhere near as heavy a sleeper as he made out. So, instead, he just sighed and wriggled back into the embrace.

* * *

><p>Xander grinned when Dom tugged him down to sit beside him at the table, even as Vince scowled at them. He was getting as tired of the other man's attitude as he was of the fights he seemingly constantly got into. Even Letty did no more than sneer at him from a distance, but he got that. He was pretty sure that she had expected to be back in Dom's bed by this time. Xander was never supposed to have come here, let alone have lasted so long. But he had, and Letty had had to live with that. Vince, on the other hand...<p>

Vince hated him. There was no doubting that. The way Vince looked at him, the way he'd shove past when they were in the same room, would walk out of a room if Xander walked in. As far as he was concerned, the crew had suffered irredeemable damage due solely to Xander's presence in Dom's bed. Of course, the noise he and Dom made couldn't have helped.

He came back to the present to see Vince jerk up from the table, and feel Dom steadying himself to get up and go after him. Instead, Xander squeezed his knee, and stood up. It was about time to settle this, and he wasn't going to have Dom fight his fights for him. He followed him into the kitchen, and leaned against the door frame, watching as he scrounged for something to eat.

"You hate me," Xander began.

Vince scowled at him. "Well, how about that?" he sneered. "The fag fucking figured something out."

"Yep," Xander nodded, "I did. And I'm a fag. Well, bisexual, really, 'cause I had a girlfriend before Dom, but that's not what I'm getting at. What I'm getting at is that you hate me. Which I totally understand," he added. "There was this guy when I was at school. Absolutely hated him. Of course, he was Buffy's boyfriend, and older than her, and I'd had this massive crush on her from the first day I met her, but that has absolutely nothing to do with it. Nope, not at all."

Vince stared at him. "What the fuck are you going on about?" he asked, bewildered.

"I get hating people. I get hating people you think are totally wrong for your friends. Trust me, it's probably just as well I knew he could beat me up with _both_ hands tied behind his back, 'cause there's times when I really think I would have done some damage, otherwise. So, hating? Totally understand."

"So why are you still here? We don't want you here. Go the fuck away," he urged.

"Uh, no. _You_ don't want me here. Mia's okay with it, and Leon and Jesse are totally fine. You are the one who hates me. The only one. Just like I was. Okay," he added, shrugging, "still am. I still hate him, but I don't think that's going to change. Thing is, I never got rid of him. I ended up working with him, kind of. He'd go to friend-type stuff, and I had to tolerate him."

Vince moved around the kitchen, yanking drawers open and shoving them closed, slamming things down on the bench, moving restlessly. Finally, he stopped and turned to face Xander. "I don't get it, okay? I don't get why … why you're with him. Why he chose you?"

Xander raised an eyebrow. "Apart from the obvious?" he asked with a small smile. "Okay. Well... He sees me," he confessed softly. When Vince's confusion didn't clear, he went on. "Dom looks at me and doesn't see … loser, doughnut boy, zeppo, useless, weak. He sees Xander. He sees me, and doesn't expect me to be anyone other than me. He looks at me, and expects me to keep up, because he knows I can, 'cause I already have. It's rare," he added softly.

"So..." Vince began. "You just hooked up with the first person who looked at you right?" he asked.

Xander chuckled. "Um, kind of? Of course, Dom'd never keep me around if I didn't fit in with what he wants, what he needs. Guess I'm just lucky he wants what I have."

"I'm never going to like you," Vince warned.

"Fine," Xander shrugged. "Just make sure you don't make trouble for Dom. And I'd really appreciate it if you didn't keep getting me into fights. They're getting boring."

Vince looked back at the sandwich he was making, then nodded. "Fine. It's done."

"That's it?" Xander asked. "It's cool, now? Well, as cool as we will ever be," he added.

"Go," Vince waved. "Dom'll get mad if he has to come looking for you."

* * *

><p>"Fuck," Leon muttered. "Could he be any more out of place?"<p>

Xander looked over to where Leon indicating, and swore. Angel was here, and did he ever look out of place. At least he wasn't wearing leather, so there was something to be thankful for. He quickly dodged behind Leon, and hoped that he could remain hidden.

"Something I should know about?" Leon asked quietly, looking around for Dom.

"He's from back home," Xander muttered. "If he sees me, he's bound to tell Buffy, and I really don't want to have to deal with her right now."

"She the ex?"

"Buffy?" Xander asked in surprise. "No. A friend. Well, kind of. We hung out at school, and I thought we were close, but there was this whole 'Xander's weak and needs to be protected' thing, and, well, here I am."

Leon spun to look at Xander. "They thought you were weak?" he asked, surprised.

Xander sighed. "You know how I keep referring to people tossing me into trees, and walls, and stuff? Actually happened. I was the weak one, I just didn't need my friends pointing it out, oh, every other day. Let alone freezing me out. And yet, when it came to the really big stuff, who pulls our asses out of the fire? Why, that would be me." He looked back to where Angel had been wandering about, showing a piece of paper. The souled vamp had moved on, hopefully had left the area entirely. Ten minutes later, though, Xander realised he'd been far too optimistic.

"Xander?" Angel asked, surprised.

Xander smirked at him, and thought about how he must look. Gone were the Hawaiian shirts and loose cargoes, replaced by tight muscle shirts and jeans. His hair was shorter, and Leon had taught him how to spike it, while Dom had given him a couple of heavy silver rings and the heavy chain around his neck. "Deadboy," he greeted cheerfully. "How's it hanging?"

"Xander, what are you doing here?" Angel asked as he grabbed the boy by the arm. "Don't you know how dangerous these people are? They're criminals, killers."

Xander stood there, not even fighting the vampire's grip on his arm, knowing it was useless. He grinned and shook his head. "LA's dangerous?" he asked. "What about good old Sunnyhell? You truly going to tell me it's nice and safe there? And you're one to talk about killers," he sneered.

"You don't have to be involved in … Buffy's thing," Angel offered, looking around at the people staring at them. "Look, I'll take you back to my place, and we can call Buffy from there. I can drive you home tomorrow night, okay?"

Xander raised an eyebrow. "Well, since you have no idea where I'm living now, I don't think you can. And I sure as hell am not going anywhere with you, tonight or any other night."

"You have to, Xander. It's not safe here for you," Angel repeated.

"And who the fuck are you to say what is and isn't safe for Xan?" Dom demanded, having appeared from seemingly nowhere. "He seems to be okay, been living here in LA for over six months, now. Doesn't even get into fights much, now," he added. "Not since he beat up all comers for about three weeks."

"Xander?" Angel hissed. "You're getting into fights?"

"Not for the last five-six months," Xander replied. "Or didn't you get that bit? Too hung up on that 'Xander's weak and helpless' riff? I'm fine, Angel. Go away and leave me alone."

"No," Angel decided as he tightened his grip on Xander's arm. "I'm getting you out of here."

He went to drag Xander away, but stiffened at the touch of cold metal against his neck.

"Don't think so," Dom smiled. "That's my boy you've got there, and he doesn't want to go with you. So you're going to let him go, and walk away."

Angel gritted his teeth, but didn't release Xander, so Xander got really close, and murmured too quietly for anyone else to hear, "You really want to find out if vamps can be killed by bullets? 'Cause I'm thinking a 9mm bullet at the base of your skull might actually have enough kinetic force to remove your head from your neck. And I'd be so very unhappy to see you dust. Would fulfil my promise at the hospital, though, wouldn't it?"

Angel glared at the boy, but released him. "I'm telling Buffy," he warned.

Xander snorted. "You know what? Tell her. Hells, I don't care if you tell the whole world!" he added. "Shout it from the rooftops. Better yet, shout if from the South-East corner of the tallest rooftop in LA, right on sunrise. That'd be fun to watch," Xander smirked.

Angel ground his teeth together. "Don't think I don't know what's going on here, boy," he growled softly, glancing at Dom. "Don't think I don't smell him all over you."

Xander got right back up into his face. "So. Fucking. What. I don't care what you know, or who you tell. Just get the hell away from me and mine, and stay away. Or I will find a way to end you, Buffy be damned."

Angel jerked back at that, then scowled. "You haven't heard the end of this," he promised.

Xander watched the vampire walk off. "'You haven't heard the end of this,'" he mocked. "Gods, I hate that man!" he huffed. "Always have, always will."

Dom folded his arms, and turned back to his lover. "So he was from back home, huh?"

"Yeah. Technically, he was a good guy, but he was really good at acting evil. There was this one time when he just decked me. No warning, no one letting me know that he was only pretending to be evil. Just picked myself up from the ground, oh, ten minutes later, hoping my jaw wasn't broken. 'Because Xander's not smart enough to pretend, don't you know?'"

Dom slid an arm around his shoulders, and pulled him back against him. "You don't have to go anywhere with any of them, you know that, don't you?"

Xander settled against the larger man's chest. "Yeah. I'm not going anywhere," he promised.

* * *

><p>Dom watched as the blonde chica buzzed around the meet, showing a photo. Each person she showed the photo to quickly glanced around, then shook their head. As she got closer, people began making eye-contact with him, before shaking their heads, or shrugging and walking away. He could see her getting frustrated, and smirked. He had a pretty good idea who she was, and was waiting for her to find his boy. He wondered if she even realised that they were protecting her from the more grabby guys hanging around. If she was asking about him or Xan, then no one was going to mess with her until he said it was okay.<p>

He watched her look around, and knew the moment she spotted him. She scowled, and stalked towards him. "You!" she accused as she grew closer. "You're him, aren't you? The one who kidnapped my friend?"

Dom snorted. "I ain't kidnapped no one, sister. If you're talking about Xan, he's with me of his own free will."

"Oh, please. Like Xander's gay! He's got this major crush on me, has had for years. So you get your greasy 'bad boy' paws of him so I can get him home where he'll be safe."

"Why do you even want him?" Dom asked. "You don't think he's got anything for you, you treat him like he's helpless. What is it for you? Can't bear to think he might actually get some friends?"

"Oh, yeah. You're a friend. Do you even know anything about him?"

"He knows all he needs to know, Buff," Xander declared as he walked around his lover.

Buffy flicked a look up and down Xander, frowning in disapproval at his appearance. "Come on, Xander. I'll take you home so you can forget about this little … thing," she waved dismissively.

"Okay," Xander drawled. "That would be a 'Hells, no' on two counts. First, you don't know where I live, so you can't take me home, and second, I know how well you drive and there is no way I'm getting in a car with you again."

Buffy rolled her eyes. "Oh, please. I had Riley drive me up here. Mom won't let me have her car, which is totally unfair!" she complained.

"Uh huh. And who's Riley?" Xander asked.

"Well, if you'd come home like you were supposed to from that road trip that obviously didn't go very far, then you'd know that I have a boyfriend, and Oz dumped Willow, and she's needed you. How could you desert her like that?" Buffy demanded.

"Oz dumped Willow? What the hell? Did she cheat on him again? 'Cause you can't blame me for that one – I've been here for over six months."

"Our lives do not revolve around you, Xander. Oz cheated on Will with a singer from another band. She was, like, so lame – all big eyes and sexy singing. And she was the same, uh, religion as Oz, so they really hit it off. But then she wanted to kill Willow, so Oz went a little, uh, crazy, and there was this thing, and now he's gone. Just totally gone. And if you'd been there, none of that would have happened."

Xander stared at her for a long moment, then pressed his hands to his face. "How the hell?" he began, then stopped. He took a breath, and went on. "Okay. Oz met someone more like him, had a fling, she decided to kill Willow, now Oz is gone. What about this other girl?"

"Dead."

"And Willow?"

"She fine. Well, physically, anyway. Emotionally, she's a mess, and she needs you."

"No, Buffy, she doesn't," Xander disagreed. "She's got you, and Giles, and even your mom, if she needs. What the hell am I supposed to do?"

"You're her best friend," Buffy explained. "You've been her best friend since kindergarten."

Xander shook his head. "I haven't been her best friend for a good year or more, not since the Fluke. You're her friend. You help her out. I'm here, now. LA is my home, and I'm with Dom."

"Xander," Buffy began reasonably, "you're not gay. You've never been gay. You like girls, remember?"

"So did Larry. Right up to the day I had that conversation with him, remember?"

Buffy giggled. "And he kept hitting on you, and you said you weren't gay, remember? You kept telling him you weren't gay. You like girls."

"And maybe if Dom had been in Sunnydale I would have discovered earlier how very gay I can be. It doesn't matter: I'm not going back there."

"You have to," Buffy declared.

"No, Buffy, I don't. And I'm not going to."

"It's not safe for you here," Buffy went on.

Xander raised an eyebrow. "And Sunnydale's so very much safer? You know, since I've been here, the only bit of Sunnydale-type nightlife I've seen has been Deadboy. The only things I've come across that have been more than I can handle have been Dom's cars. I even survived an introduction to Dom's ex, and, let me tell you, she reminds me an awful lot of Faith," he added with a grin.

"Of course you won't get involved in the 'nightlife'," Buffy argued. "You'll just come home and get a normal job, and, I don't know, maybe do a little research with Giles. Oh, and you can look after Spike."

"I can what?" Xander exploded.

"Oh, come one," Buffy moaned. "Like I would let you near him if he was any kind of danger. He's been, like, de-clawed. He can't hurt anyone."

"How did that happen?"

Buffy looked around. "Well, it's not like I can talk about it here," she protested.

"Well then, I guess I'll never know. 'Cause I'm not coming home to be Willow's cry toy, I'm not coming home to be your doughnut boy, and I sure as hells am not coming home to be Spikes … whatever. You wanted me out? I'm out. Way out. 'Out of Sunnydale' out. You should be happy. I'm not going to get involved in any of your stuff, and I'm not going to get hurt by whatever comes along. But, tell you what. You ever decide that you actually _need_ me, instead of just wanting to control my life and shove me in a corner somewhere, you let me know. I may just go back there to help you out. But I'm not moving back. Sunnydale is not my home any more. Frankly, it never was."

"You are coming home, Xander," Buffy promised. "You just don't know it yet."

* * *

><p>Dom grinned as he ran up the stairs. The parts had come in for Xander's car, and they could finally finish it. Xander had wanted to go slowly with the car, since he'd never don't any mechanical work before, and they'd both enjoyed working together. He walked into their room, and looked around. He frowned. "Xan?" he called out. Looking around again, he noticed an envelope on his pillow. He read his name on the front, and picked it up. Inside was a sheet of paper with a brief note.<p>

_Dom,_

_Something came up. Had to go._

_Xan_

All of a sudden, Dom felt like he couldn't breath. There was no air in the room, and his lungs just wouldn't work, anyway, because that just took up too much energy, and he needed all his energy just to stay in one piece, because the only thing holding him together wasn't here, and he couldn't do it all by himself. A thought occurred to him, and he yanked the closet door open, but all he saw was the space where Xander's clothes were supposed to be. He pulled open some drawers, but they were empty. He glanced at the top of the drawers, and was briefly appeased by the sight of Xander's rings and chain, until he realised that they have been left behind. Just like him.


	4. Leaving LA

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to Buffy or TFATF

* * *

><p>Xander woke up, and stretched to work the kink out of his neck. He looked around, and recognised Buffy's lounge room. He frowned, and tried to remember how he'd gotten there. The last thing he remembered was...<p>

"Hey, there, sleepy-head," Buffy greeted cheerfully. "You awake now?"

"Um, yeah?" Xander tried. "I don't even remember getting here. I must have been way tired," he smiled.

"Oh, yeah," Buffy nodded. "Way with the tired. So you were going to tell me about your road trip," she prompted.

Xander groaned. "Well, I didn't actually get far," he began. "I only got as far as Oxnard when the engine in my car just dropped out."

"You're kidding," Buffy gasped.

"Nope. Next thing I know, I'm rolling over top of my engine, and I've got no power, so I manage to pull over to the side, get my bag, and I had to hike into town. The mechanic said there was no point in trying to repair it, so I had to find a job so I could afford a new car. And, of course, there's only one job left in the whole town, so I ended up doing the dishes at 'The Fabulous Ladies Nightclub,'" he confessed.

"Oh, no," Buffy giggled.

"Yes," Xander nodded. "So tell me how you've been. It's been … how long now?"

"Nine months," Buffy sighed. "That's an awful lot of dishes, Xan. Well, I've been good. I have a boyfriend. He's a TA at college, very cute. Willow's been in a bit of a bad place, though, since Oz split up with her."

"How did that happen?"

"There was another werewolf. A girl. She was on heat, or something, and Oz got all weird about her, then they hooked up, and then she tried to kill Willow so Oz would stay with her. Oz killed her to protect Willow, but then turned on Willow, 'cause he was all wolfy. So he decided he needed to learn some control, and just left. Oh, and Spike's here. He's been chipped so he can't hurt humans, as so we're looking after him."

"He's been what now?" Xander asked cautiously.

"Chipped. There's a government operation in town, and they've been studying demons, or Hostile Sub-Terrestrials, as they like to call them. They stuck a chip in his head, and it gives him a migraine any time he even tries to hurt a human. But he can beat up on demons, so he's been helping me out with the Slaying."

"And Giles says this is okay?" Xander asked.

"Oh, Giles just complains about blood in the mugs, and rings on the tables, and stuff like that. Like I said, he's totally harmless. Well, to humans. The demons really hate him, now."

"That's nice," Xander murmured, trying to get things straight in his head. He was still feeling a little wooly, like things were out of place in his head. He sighed, and gave up on that task. "So have I said anything about my plans? 'Cause I really have no idea what I'm going to do now I'm back," he shrugged.

"Do you have a place to stay?" Joyce asked as she carried a glass of soda in to him.

"Well, there's always my parents' basement. Not sure how much they're going to ask for it, though."

Joyce raised an eyebrow. "Your parents are going to charge you rent for their basement?" she repeated.

"Uh, yeah. Well, they're always on about how I need to contribute."

"And would they still be feeding you?" she went on.

"Well, no. But I've been looking after myself for a while, now," Xander offered.

"Mm hmm," Joyce murmured, not impressed. "Well, I have a spare room, if you want it. You can pay rent, and there will be chores, but at least it won't be the basement. And I won't be rattling around this house all by myself," she added.

Xander stared at her. "But... I mean... You..."

"God, Xan," Buffy grinned. "Just say 'yes'. You know my mom. Admitting defeat is your only option. And, this way, I don't have to worry about her so much."

"Well, if you put it that way," Xander conceded. He grinned at the older woman. "Mrs Summers, I would be incredibly and amazingly pleased to be able to rent a room from you. And I'll do my chores, and everything," he promised.

"Very good," she beamed. "So where's your gear?"

* * *

><p>Xander was walking along the street when a familiar van pulled up alongside him. He looked in, and saw Oz in the driver's seat. "Wow, hey, Oz," he greeted. "So... You're back?"<p>

"Hey, Xan. Yeah. Came back to see Will."

"Well, she'll be at college at the moment. Um... Don't know her schedule, sorry. Haven't seen her all week, but I think she'll be at Giles tonight?"

"Cool."

Xander kicked a stone. "So. I, uh, heard about … well, you know."

"Veruca," the werewolf nodded.

Xander frowned. "Isn't that a wart?"

Oz's mouth twitched, and he shook her head. "That was her name. The other were."

"Oh, right," Xander gasped. "Yeah. Her. So, you know, you kind of left pretty abruptly. From what I heard, anyway," he shrugged.

"Had to. Lost control. Couldn't risk that again."

"No, I get that. But you could have, I don't know, said something. At least rocked up and told her, face to face. Buffy said she was really cut up about it."

Oz shrugged, but said nothing.

"Not that I can really say anything," Xander went on. "I wasn't exactly Mr Available when you went of to do whatever." He looked at the smaller man, then shook his head. "So you want me to say anything, or are you just going to turn up?"

"Nah. I'll try to catch her at her dorm."

"Okay then. Well, I'll see you, I guess." With that, Xander waved, and walked on towards his job. Washing dishes wasn't too bad. At least it wasn't a strip joint.

* * *

><p>Xander frowned. Why was he doing this again? Apart from the whole got-to-free-Oz thing, of course. Here he was, dressed up in his old soldier-boy costume, following Spike and a lab-coated Buffy and Willow into Riley's 'super sekrit' base. So when did he become useful again? Oh, right. When Angel moved to LA. Had to have a male-shaped body for some things, he guessed.<p>

Right on schedule (and who thought that'd happen?) the power went out, and they were able to get in to the Colonel's bedroom, and then it turned out they were going to have to spring Buffy's boyfriend as well. At least he was being held for a good reason – he'd tried to free Oz, but had been caught, and was going to be court-martialed. So they retrieved him from the brig, then mounted a thrilling rescue for their favourite werewolf (at least when he wasn't dumping best friends) from the pits of doom. Er, an Initiative cell.

One obscure literary reference (and apparently an incident of assault against a senior officer) later, they were escorting Riley and Oz out of the the frat house. Buffy and Riley disappeared to get the ex-soldier into hiding, while Xander escorted Willow and Oz off-campus. Making sure they were okay, he left them to get changed and walk back to Joyce's place.

Willow was going to talk to Oz about Tara – would have been nice if he'd known before hand, himself. He might have been able to mention something to Oz, warn him, maybe. Things might have not gone so badly if the poor guy had just had some warning. But it wasn't like he was really a part of their lives any more. He sighed. He'd felt really cut out of the girls' lives since Cordy and Oz had found them kissing. Will had ditched him to save her relationship to Oz, and then Buffy had gone on her fray-adjacent phase. Granted, he wasn't a good fighter. Even Riley could hand him his ass. But he tried. And he totally had the plan for Graduation. Still, he wasn't sure why he'd returned. He'd been in Oxnard nearly nine months, apparently, though he couldn't really remember much of it. Maybe it was that much of a nothing town that all he could remember was a few random days. At least he'd never been called on to dance there. He shuddered. Him. As a stripper. Not something anyone wanted to see.

* * *

><p>Xander walked away from Spike's crypt. He'd gone there to deliver the fatigues he would be needing for the next incursion into the Initiative. He'd also included a fakereplica pistol, which Spike had loved until he discovered that a) the chip fired when he even aimed the pistol at Xander, and b) the pistol was fake, so he couldn't have done anything anyway.

It was at that point that Spike had 'let slip' that he'd heard Buffy and Willow talking about him joining the Army. Or joining him up to the Army. Or something. He wasn't sure, but he had the feeling that Spike was trying to divide them for some reason. Probably no more reason than 'Hey! Evil!' It might have worked, too, if it wasn't for the oddly detached feeling he got from time to time. He didn't even have a girlfriend, yet here he was, still in Sunnydale, working pathetic jobs, not being anywhere near 'all he could be.' Maybe the Army was a good suggestion. He should ask Riley.

* * *

><p>There had been a fight. Buffy was frustrated, Willow was suspicious of Buffy's acceptance of her and Tara's relationship, and he was … detached. Still. More. The more he thought about it, the more he felt out of place. Willow and Buffy were both powered up, neither of them seemed to have a place for him. His place had become relegated to that of the 'normals'. Him, Giles – out of work, and drinking to fill some emptiness in him – and Joyce, the only one of them seeming to have a fulfilling life with her gallery. Maybe Giles should have a shop. That might solve his problem, but then it left Xander as being the one so out of place it was becoming unbearable.<p>

There had been a making-up. Buffy pointed out it was Spike who'd spread the divisive words, probably at Adam's behest. Willow had explained the information that appeared of its own accord while she was still trying to decrypt Adam's files, and they realised that, for all it was a trap, they still had to go down and do something. They just needed a way to deal with Adam. Buffy suggested the method – remove his Uranium core. Willow suggested a spell, which Giles found. Except it required his translating skills. So he had randomly suggested some way of combining Buffy, Willow and Giles to defeat the monster. Turned out, not only that was a viable possibility, but he was required, also. He was going to be the Heart. And he felt less detached. It didn't stop that little echo of emptiness inside him, though.

There had been another fight, but this one had been physical, and he'd felt singularly joined with the others for the duration of the spell. He had felt Buffy and Willow and Giles within him, and himself within them. He had felt Buffy's strength in his bones, Willow's power in his blood, and Giles wisdom in his head, and he was one with them right down to his cells. He had stopped the rain of bullets, and turned a rocket into some birds. He had held Adam's core in his hand, wondering at the power of it, and, with a set of words, he had destroyed it. And then he had been alone in himself. And then they had been fleeing, escorting the surviving humans from the bloodbath that was once the Initiative. And he was a part. And he was apart.

Then there had been dreams.

* * *

><p>"Giles," Xander began tentatively, "you know how we all had those weird dreams the other day?"<p>

"As a result of the Joining spell?" Giles asked. "Yes, I rather recall them. Have there been ongoing problems as a result?"

"Well, it's more... There was someone in my dreams. A guy. Big, shaves his head, the kind that sort of defines 'muscles on muscles?'" Xander explained with a half-smile.

"Was it someone you know?"

"No," Xander shook his head. "Well, I don't remember knowing him, anyway," he added. He chewed his lip as he thought how to go on. "Thing is, every time he turned up all he would do is kind of look sad, and ask, 'Why did you leave?'"

"Yet you don't remember him?" Giles clarified.

"No. But since then, I've been dreaming about him," Xander confessed. "Nothing much. Just flashes, glimpses. A smile, him shouting at someone." He lost himself in the half-remembered dreams. "He has a look, sometimes. Like I'm the only thing in the world. Don't know when I last had that." He shrugged. "Except for Cordelia, I'm not sure I ever did."

Giles sighed, and began to clean his glasses. "You don't have many memories of your time in Oxnard, do you? I mean to say, you don't say anything about it."

Xander snorted. "I washed dishes. Not much to say about it. Nothing really memorable." He looked away again. "I'm thinking of signing up. Joining the Army. I know Spike was just trying to separate us, but, well, I don't really fit here any more, do I? Buffy and Willow have college, you could buy a book store, or something. Me? I just … exist."

"You've been feeling … adrift for some time, haven't you?" Giles asked gently.

"Yep."

"Well, maybe you should just think about it for a while," Giles suggested. "Buffy and Willow are off school for a few months. See if you can reconnect, as you Yanks say. Re-form your friendships."

"Yeah, I guess," Xander shrugged.

* * *

><p>"Dom!" Leon shouted.<p>

Dom jerked back from the engine he'd been working on. "What?" he demanded, annoyed.

"You got to stop this, man," Leon frowned. "You've been working night and day for the last two months. I get that you miss him, but you need to do something. Something other than tune cars all fucking day."

"What should I do, Leon?" Dom asked. "You going to tell me what I should fucking do? He left me. He..." He couldn't breath again. The only way he'd made it so far was by not thinking. By working. Even racing only worked for a little while, then he'd need to lose himself again inside the guts of some car.

"He what?" Leon asked. "What did he say? Did you have some fight? We don't even know what happened, Dom."

"He left," Dom growled. "End of story."

"What? He just said, 'I'm going now,' and walked out the door?" Leon asked. "I'm just trying to make sense of this, okay? We're fucking losing you, here."

"You want to know?" Dom demanded. "He wrote a note, okay? Couldn't even tell me to my face. 'Something came up. Had to go.' That's it. That's all he wrote me. He left it in an envelope on the fucking bed. Anything else you want to know?" he growled.

"Yeah," Leon shot right back at him. "Why the fuck did you think it was Xan who wrote the note?"

"Oh, I don't know. Maybe 'cause it was his handwriting? Maybe 'cause he fucking signed his name?" Dom shouted.

"Maybe Xan can't possibly say in two words what he could say in ten?" Leon suggested. "Maybe there's no way in fuck he'd ever leave you without talking to you?"

Dom opened his mouth to shout right back at his friend, when he stopped. A sudden rush of images flooded his mind, images of his boy babbling away, images of him silencing his boy. "Fuck," he whispered. He turned, and blindly set his tool down before walking back into the house.

Leon hurried after him. "You got a plan?" he asked. "Something?"

"After that guy came around, Xan did come checking. He runs a detective agency, Angels … something." He pulled out a piece of paper. "Here. Angel Investigations." He clenched the paper in his fist, and walked out, whisking up his keys as he went.

Leon quickly grabbed his own keys and followed Dom out of the house. Once in their respective cars, he worked to keep up with the other man as he drove across town. When Dom parked, he quickly found his own parking space, and ran to catch up. Dom obviously had conceded to Leon's determination to follow him, as he stood outside an office building, waiting for him. With a nod, Dom turned and jogged up the steps.

Dom stalked into the office to be confronted by a beautiful, brunette receptionist. She gave a sunny smile, and greeted them. "Where is he?" Dom growled.

That response brought a quirked eyebrow and a cold stare. "You want to be more specific?" she demanded.

Dom thought back to Xander's conversation with the investigator. "Deadboy," he decided.

The woman narrowed her eyes and tightened her lips. "Angel!" she bellowed over her shoulder. "You get your pasty ass up here and tell me what you've done with Xander."

"You know Xan?" Dom asked, wondering which friend this might be. Dark hair, and stunning looks... "You Cordy?"

Cordelia glared at him again. "Who are you, and how do you know Xander?"

"Name's Dom," he smirked. "And Xan's my boy. Until someone took him away from me. And I want to know," he went on when he saw Angel walk in, "just how the fuck that happened when he told this prick here and that blonde chica that he fucking did not want to go back there."

"What's going on?" Angel asked cautiously.

"Well that's exactly what I want to know," Cordelia decided. "Dom here says that Xander left him... Wait a minute," she gasped, turning back to Dom. "When you say he's your boy, what exactly do you mean?"

"They were involved," Angel answered quickly, endeavouring to prevent anything unseemly being said. "And after telling Buffy where I saw Xander, and who I saw him with, I had nothing further to do with it."

Cordelia turned that thought over in her mind for a few minutes, then shrugged. She had time for that issue later. "Okay," she began sweetly. "Let me see if I get this right. You, Angel, spotted Xander with Dom here, and told Buffy where he was. Did you even speak to him first?"

"Yes," Angel nodded. "I offered to bring him back here, and then take him home the following night. He didn't want to come, so I told him I was going to speak to Buffy about it. He was fine with that."

"Uh huh. 'Cause you and Xan have always had such civil conversations," Cordelia added scornfully. "And then what?" she went on, turning to Dom. "Little Miss Slays-a-Lot turns up and orders Dork-boy back home? What did he say."

"Told her to fuck off," Dom smirked. "She said his best friend got dumped and it was all his fault she was feeling bad." He rolled his eyes. "And she kept saying he wasn't safe with me and he needed to go home. He was home!" Dom growled. "He had a home with me!"

"And what about that red-headed boyfriend stealer?" Cordelia asked.

Dom shook his head. "Never saw her."

Cordelia immediately dismissed that piece of information. "You wouldn't have needed to. Right. You, Angel, are going to fix this. You made this mess by telling Buffy, so you are going to go to Sunnydale and talk to Giles. 'Cause, Lord knows, no one's going to talk to salty-goodness here. Wesley, don't think I don't see you there," she called. Dom turned to see a clean-cut, dark-haired man with glasses. Very … suburban, he decided. Not someone he expected at a detectives place. "You go with these two and make sure they get there okay. Take them to Giles' place – that's where we'll be going."

The new guy, Wesley, smiled uncertainly at them. "Well," he began in what Dom decided was a posh Brit accent. "Uh, I'll, um, I'll go with you then, shall I?"

"You sure about that?" Dom asked, mockingly.

"Oh, dear Lord, yes," Wesley answered fervently. "I have no desire to be in the same car as those two for the journey. Cordelia is going to spend the entire journey, er, addressing Angel's many failings." He shuddered. "I believe I shall be much better off with you."

Dom snorted, and led the way out to their cars.


	5. Retaking Claims

Disclaimer: Don't own or claim rights to Buffy or TFATF

A/N: Final chapter, people. Hope you enjoyed the ride :D

* * *

><p>Dom scowled at Angel when he finally pulled up outside the apartment complex. "You drive like a pussy," he greeted.<p>

"Says the man who drives like Spike reputedly does, for Heaven's sake," Wesley muttered. Louder, he added, "I'm going back with you, Cordelia. I don't care how upset you are with Angel, I'm doing it."

Angel blinked. "Oh. I guess I forgot to mention that Dom is a street racer."

"And I'm sure that, at the time, it would have meant nothing to me. Regardless, I am going back to LA with you two," Wesley decided.

Dom simply grinned and shook his head. "So we getting my boy now?"

"We're not getting anyone," Angel announced. "We're just going to talk."

Dom straightened up and took a step towards the other man.

Cordelia stepped between them. "Gods, people. Can we step back with the testosterone already?" she demanded.

Dom looked at her narrowly, then smirked. "Can see why the boy liked you."

"Oh, please," she sniffed. "I chose him, not the other way around."

"Know why you did that, too," Dom leered.

Cordelia snorted. "Just who do you think taught him to kiss? And you're welcome," she nodded regally.

"Yes, well, if we can finish this 'Xander is a hottie' conversation, can we move on to Giles' apartment?" Angel muttered irritably as he stalked off. Then he stopped and turned to Wesley. "Do you think I've been spending too much time listening to Cordelia?"

"I'd answer that," Wesley began, "but I prefer to live."

Unaccountably relaxed by that little … scene, Dom followed the others into the complex. The period of relaxation was short-lived, however, when they found that the other man wasn't home.

"Where next?" Angel asked his co-workers.

"Buffy's place," Cordelia answered firmly. "They might be having a dinner there. It's Summer holidays for the college girls, now."

That decided, they returned to their cars, Wesley scuttling to the back seat of Angel's convertible rather than enduring another ride with Dom, and drove around to the Summers' residence. The only car in the drive way was a red convertible, and Dom noted that none of the others seemed to recognise it. It was a shiny Beemer, and Dom immediately classified it as a mid-life-crisis car.

Wesley coughed, and said, tentatively, "Ms Summers may be entertaining a guest."

"Well, of course she's entertaining, Wes," Cordelia replied. "She might also know where they are if they aren't here. We'll only be a minute," she dismissed. "Unless, of course the Wicked Bitch of the West is here. I have a considerable bone to pick with her," she glowered. With that, she strode up the path to the porch, and knocked on the front door.

The door was answered by Giles, who looked at them, startled. "Angel," he greeted, "is there anything wrong?"

"Maybe," Angel grunted. "Is everyone here?"

"Oh, yes. Except for Willow and Tara. Um... May I know who these other people are?"

"This is Dom," Cordelia answered with a sparkling smile. "He's Xander's boyfriend."

Giles looked at them man, and stilled, remembering Xander's hesitant descriptions. He stepped forward onto the porch and closed the door behind him. "Perhaps it would be better if we discussed this out here before going inside," he suggested mildly.

Cordelia narrowed her eyes at him. "What did they do, Giles," she demanded in a low tone.

Giles removed his glasses, and began to clean them. "I do not exactly know, Cordelia. All I know is that all Xander remembers is washing dishes in Oxnard for nine months."

Dom closed his eyes, and felt his guts disappear. His boy didn't remember him. How...

"What the hell did that bitch do to him," Cordelia hissed. "I hope you don't need her alive to fix this, because I'm going to claw her eyes out, feed them to her, then I'm going to do things to her that would make Angelus proud."

"Stand in line, princess," Dom growled.

Cordelia turned and glared at him. "It's queen, not princess. Remember that." She then turned back to Giles. "What did she do!"

"I don't know. Precisely," he added, conscientiously. "There are a number of spells one can use to remove or suppress a memory. Lethe's bramble can be used to remove traumatic memories, but this... This is the wholesale suppression of over six months of memories. This... This is very black," he shook his head, furious.

"In- Intentions have a great deal to do with it," Wesley offered. "If she thought she was doing it to remove Xander from a very dangerous situation, that would alter things."

"Very well," Giles snarled. "So it's dark grey instead of black. The fact remains that Willow has played with his memories, and I sincerely doubt it was with his approval."

"Fuck, no," Dom growled. "He never wanted to come back to this place. But … spells? She's a bruja?"

"He said that?" Giles interrogated, ignoring Dom's question. "He clearly said that he never wanted to come here?"

Dom nodded. "He told Angel, and he told your blonde bitch that LA was home, and he didn't want to go back to Sunnydale."

"He was adamant," Angel added. "And it was definitely Xander. Didn't look the way he used to, but it was still him. Have the death threats to prove it," he added with a half-smile.

Giles and Cordelia both smirked at that. "Well," Giles decided, "we should..." he waved at the door. "Oh," he added, in afterthought, "you should know that Spike is here tonight."

"What the hell?" Angel demanded, pushing forward towards the door.

Giles stopped his with an hand to his chest. "He's fine. He's been … muzzled. De-fanged, if you will. Buffy never told you?"

Angel frowned, and shook his head.

"We can discuss the details later," Giles decided. "I just thought you should know about his presence, and that he's not a threat, so you don't need to do anything. He is, of course, still offensive."

Angel chuckled ruefully. "Wouldn't be Spike if he wasn't."

"And, Dom," Giles went on softly. "I believe he is starting to remember you. He's mentioned seeing someone in his dreams. Someone whose description you match."

The group returned to the porch, and entered the house. Buffy frowned when she saw Angel's group. "What are you doing here?" she asked, suspicious. "Is there some kind of problem? Did Cordy have a vision?"

"Yep," Cordelia nodded. "I had a vision of bitch-slapping the pair of you, before tying you to a stake and making s'mores. It was a fun vision," she sighed, smiling.

"And can I just say 'huh'?" Buffy asked.

"That might be my fault," Dom smirked as he moved to where Buffy could see him. "I think we had a real bonding moment. Now where's my boy," he growled.

Buffy glared at the man, then shrugged. "I don't know why you're asking," she sniffed.

"Buffy," Giles began before Dom could shoot back a response. "Do not embarrass yourself by trying to hide what you did. We are not stupid, you know. You somehow persuaded Willow to perform a memory spell on Xander, causing him to forget his time in LA. He had already begun to remember due to an after-effect of the Joining spell. Do you think you could hide this altogether?"

"He belongs here," she snarled. "He belongs with us. It's not safe for him out there."

"Don't you think I get to choose where I belong?" Xander asked softly.

Dom shifted again so that he could see his boy. His hair had grown out, and he had returned to the loose and daggy clothes he'd worn when they'd first met. But worst of all was the pain and confusion on his face. "Xan?" he called softly.

Xander walked forward jerkily, as if dreaming. He raised a hand, and hesitantly touched the cross around Dom's neck. "I... I don't..."

Dom cupped his hand around his boy's face, and Xander let his eyes flutter shut, and leaned into the touch. "Hey," he murmured. "That's okay. You didn't ask for this. I know you didn't. I know that now."

Xander opened his eyes, and took a breath before stepping back. "I, I can't be here right now. I, I just can't." With that, he slipped past them and scooped something from a bucket under the hall table before hurrying out of the house.

Giles quickly walked into the kitchen, then returned, followed by a black-coated blond. The blond swept through the foyer and out the door. "Two birds with one stone," he nodded to Angel. Then he turned to Wesley as he fished his keys out. "I want you to take Buffy and fetch Willow, and Tara if she wishes. I believe they are at Willow's parents' place tonight. Willow has a good deal to answer for, as do you, young lady. Now, how about we say hello to Joyce," he nodded to the others. "She should know she has guests."

* * *

><p>"So we going anywhere in particular?" Spike asked when he caught up with Xander.<p>

Xander grimaced as he glanced at the vampire. "Just needed to get out of the house."

"Saw Peaches there, along with his gang. Know what that's about?" Spike asked.

"Not the faintest," Xander answered tersely.

"So what's got your knickers in a knot, then?"

"Willow did something to my memory. Buffy got her to do it." Xander shrugged. "I think it has something to do with the big guy who was there."

"Baldy?" Spike asked.

"Shaven," Xander corrected immediately, then stopped, and looked at Spike guiltily. "Well, uh, you can see. You know, where the hair should be. If he didn't shave."

"Uh huh," Spike murmured, eyeing the boy. "Right. Yeah. 'Cause that's believable."

"Well you can," Xander argued defensively.

"So... You don't remember him?"

"Didn't," Xander explained. "Still don't, really. Just, sort-of remember bits. Him smiling at me. The way he looked," he added with a soft smile.

Spike turned to look at him, eyes narrowed. "You like him," he observed. "'Like-like' as you gits like to say," he added, causing Xander to blush. "Mind you, he's very shaggable, in a very 'dom' kind of way. If you like that sort of thing," he shrugged. "What now?" he demanded, noting the boy's goofy smile.

"I told him his name was appropriate," he grinned. "His name's Dom. I know his name!"

"Oh, hells," Spike moaned. "You're going to start remembering, now, aren't you?" he demanded, disgusted.

* * *

><p>By the time Spike and Xander made it back to the house, it was obvious there had been a 'vigorous discussion.' Buffy was flushed and furious, while Willow was still teary-eyed. Joyce was also very angry, the corners of her mouth pulled down and her spine stiff. Cordelia, on the other hand, was positively glowing with satisfaction, while the shaven-headed stranger, Dom, was looking at her with approval. Angel looked, frankly, constipated, though Xander wasn't sure how he managed that, what with his liquid diet.<p>

Xander walked into the lounge room. "So do I get to know what happened? And why you raped my mind?" he asked.

Willow gasped. "No, Xan. Not that. Not … that."

"What, then?" he asked. "You came in, without my consent, and you … played with my memories. You … did something to the thing that makes a person just that particular person. How is that not rape?"

"No," Willow whined softly.

"It was for your own good," Buffy hissed. "You were running with a street gang, for God's sake. Look at them," she demanded. "How are they appropriate for you? And a boyfriend, Xan? You're not gay. Everyone knows that. You've lusted after me for forever, you had that thing with Willow, and you dated Cordelia! Though, if anything could turn anyone gay, that would be it," she sneered at the brunette.

"Yep," Cordelia smiled brightly. "I just spoiled him for any other woman."

Xander chuckled. "The only woman for me," he nodded. "I was an idiot to screw that up."

"Well, duh!" Cordelia snorted. "But that ship has sailed, dweeb."

Xander looked at Dom, slight frown worrying his face. "Yeah," he said softly. He dropped his gaze to the floor. "Um, we … we need to talk," he muttered nervously.

"Kitchen or sitting room, Xander," Joyce declared.

Xander blushed and nodded, then led Dom back into the hallway, and to the sitting room at the back of the house. When they were in the room, Xander cleared his throat. "Um. I live here, so Joyce is like my mom, now. Which is way cool, since my own mom would never be this cool, and Dad really hates, uh, gays."

"So you're not living in the basement?" Dom asked. "Good."

"I told you...? Huh. Guess I told you a lot," Xander shrugged.

"Yeah. Had to work on ways to stop you talking so much, sometimes," Dom smirked.

"Really?" Xander asked, curious. "How'd you do that? 'Cause I'm sure Giles would love to know that trick."

Dom stepped closer. "You really want to know?"

Xander frowned, puzzled. "Well, yeah. Unless it involves pain. Not a fan of pain," he shrugged.

Dom nodded, smiling, and closed the gap. He cradled Xander's head in his hand, and watched as his boy's eyes fluttered closed again, and he relaxed. He brushed his lips against Xander's, and was pleased when his boy's mouth opened with a sigh, and then he kissed him.

It was like nothing had happened. Like he had never gone away. Dom had Xander in his arms, his long, lithe body under his hands, and those strong fingers running over his body. Xander's hands slid down to his hips, and pulled him closer as he began to grind against the larger man. Dom couldn't believe how much he'd missed the intensity and sheer strength of his boy, those lush lips against his, and, he groaned into the kiss, his cock thrusting against his own.

Suddenly, Xander pulled away, eyes wide. "I was a stripper?" he shrieked.

* * *

><p>"No, Giles," Xander sighed. "I'm fine. For the forgotten-how-many-eth time, I'm fine. And I spoke to Cordy a few days ago. Spike's still not house-broken to her standards, but then, he's not living with her, so that's okay." He listened to the ex-librarian, ex-Watcher, but his attention was being diverted by the large hand that was meandering South of his waist. Or maybe meandering wasn't the right word. Heading straight in, maybe. "Uh huh," he grunted, screwing up is face as he attempted to pay attention. Dom nibbling on his neck certainly wasn't helping. "Yeah. Uh huh."<p>

"Are you paying attention, Xander?" Giles asked.

"Yeah," Xander gasped. "Why wouldn't I be?"

"Dom's there, isn't he?" Giles asked with a smirk.

"Maybe?" Xander offered. "Kind of? Yeah?"

"Very well," Giles grinned. "I shall let him have you."

"Okay," Xander agreed quickly. "And say hi to Joyce and Dawn, and tell her her crush is inappropriate. Dom is mine, not hers!"

"Goodbye, Xander," Giles laughed.

Xander thumbed the disconnect button, and tossed the phone aside as he twisted in Dom's arms, and claimed his mouth, holding his smooth head with one hand. The other hand pushed into Dom's pants to fondle his already-hard cock. "You are a complete bastard," he hissed when he broke the kiss.

"I wanted to fuck you," Dom smirked. "Not listen to you yammer on to the Brit."

"The man is like my father," Xander scowled. "You don't like to know anything about your parents screwing, and you don't want them to hear you screwing. That was a very bad thing!"

Dom chuckled, a sexy-evil sound at the best of times. "How about I make it up to you, then?" he offered.

Xander's eyes widened. "How?" he demanded breathily.

Dom smirked, then dropped to his knees. He opened Xander's jeans, and pulled them down to his thighs before cupping his balls in one hand, and gently grasping his cock in the other. He then took Xander's cock into his mouth and began to suck.

Xander reached back blindly for something to support him, and luckily found the wall. He moaned as Dom swirled his tongue around the head of his cock, and looked down to watch the performance. It was about then that he noticed something. "Fuck, Dom. The door's open!"

Dom released Xander's cock, and looked up. "You want me to stop?" he asked, voice low.

Xander looked from him to the open door, and back again.

"I stop now to close the door," Dom warned, "I ain't starting back up again."

Xander whined. He glanced at the door again, then back at Dom. "No," he whimpered. "Don't stop."

"Good boy," Dom murmured approvingly, then turned his attention back to Xander's cock. He ran his tongue up the underside of Xander's heavy cock as he rolled his balls in one hand. He then sucked the head back into his mouth, teasing the slit which was now weeping. While he was doing this, he added a finger of his free hand the his mouth to wet it, then ran it over his boy's tight hole. Xander moaned, and pushed back against the questing finger.

Xander began to swear softly, in languages including, Dom now knew, Latin and Sumerian. He'd been impressed when he found out his boy could read bits and pieces of those fancy languages, thought Xander was quick to say it wasn't much, just a little here and there. Still.

Dom began sucking harder, rolling the tightening balls, and rubbing his thumb across the tender area behind Xander's balls. He had a plan, and he was going to stick with it. Soon enough, he had his boy shouting and coming into his mouth. Dom swallowed it down, and stood up to claim a kiss, which Xander freely supplied, before cleaning up the trace remnants of his orgasm. "Strip," Dom ordered. "Bed." Xander panted, and nodded.

Dom closed the door before joining Xander on the bed – for all he might tease Xan, he didn't need people staring at his boy. He stripped off quickly, and gathered his supplies, then laid down between Xander's spread legs. "You want to know what impressed me so much, that first time? The reason I decided I wanted you?"

Xander frowned, and nodded. Dom had never explained this before.

"It was your strength," Dom explained. "You pushed me. There you were, not much more than a virgin, and you were fighting me, making me prove I could do it, could fuck you into the ground. You wouldn't take shit from just anyone. I had to be strong enough. And I don't fuck weak people. Letty was strong, too. But you? You're perfect." With that, Dom leaned forward, and caught Xander's lips for a deep kiss.

Dom pulled back, and looked at his boy's body. Lean, tight. He ran a hand over the muscle he saw there, harder, now, than when they first met. He tweaked a nipple, and heard Xander's breath hitch. He looked up at his lover, and smiled, before smearing some lube on his fingers, and moving down his body.

He slowly opened his boy up, working his fingers in smoothly and deeply. Dom looked up from time to time, to watch Xander writhing on his finger, head thrown back, shoulders working. He speared Xander on three fingers, then four, as the younger man grew louder in his compliments, his complaints, his blessings and his cursings. When he was completely satisfied, his covered and lubed his own cock, and, with a hand to Xander's hip, smoothly slid into his body.

Dom pushed Xander's legs over his shoulders, and lifted his hips up to lie on his knees. Xander opened his eyes, and Dom saw that they were black. They were both still and panting, Xander waiting for Dom's next move. Maintaining eye-contact, Dom began to move. Slow, deep strokes that hit Xander's gland more often than not. Soon, though, Xander began to toss his head, moaning and sighing, while Dom dropped his head to his chest, and gritted his teeth. He was determined to last. To give Xan his best.

Time stopped, and Dom lost himself in the feel of his lover's body. There was nothing else worth considering but the man beneath him. The strength and beauty he'd claimed for his own. The long, hard cock that lay hard and weeping, flat against that muscled torso. With effort, he released a hip, and covered Xander's cock with his hand. He held it there as he fought to gain sufficient control to stroke and not clench, but even that seemed enough as Xander groaned, and bucked up against his hand. Xander reached out, and covered Dom's hand with his own, and began helping Dom bring him off.

Xander's words had tapered off to a near-whisper, and Dom noticed that they had changed. No longer the pleas and curses, he could hear his name, a fervent prayer. He listened, trying to make sense of the quiet words. Finally he made it out – "Love you so much." With a roar, Dom threw back his head and came, his sudden movement against Xander's cock being enough to bring the younger man to completion as well. He shuddered, and let Xander's legs drop of his shoulders, before falling forwards to lean on his elbows. He held himself like that until Xander opened his eyes, and smiled.

"Hey," Xander murmured breathlessly.

"Hey," Dom returned. Then he smiled. "Love you, too," he murmured, then kissed his boy.

* * *

><p>AN: Suggestion for the s'mores dialogue came from LadyFoxFire.


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